Tales from Opening Night...the man who flew across the ocean;
the 49 euro bed; and that guy from Provincetown.
As the playwright, I get to spend the day of Opening Night doing such important things as buying presents for the cast and getting my hair cut. It continued lovely in Dublin, and I changed hotels from the Fitzwilliam 'round the corner to the Shelbourne. The Fitzwilliam was a modern hotel, with little touches like votive candles on handy nooks and shelves to provide a little "mood" lighting, and a feel both cool and comfortable.
The Shelbourne is a true grand dame; at nearly 200 years old (and just off a major renovation), it's seen history outside its front door (literally), as well as inside. Troops in the 1916 rebellion camped outside on St. Stephen's Green, and the British garrisoned soldiers inside. In 1922, the new Irish constitution was signed. THAT kind of hotel. With a suite named for Grace Kelly, who stayed there, and for Irish heroes, politicans and artists.
There's a mural in the lobby of Vladimir and Estragon, waiting for Godot.
They also welcome you with cake and fresh lemonade, gingerbread or brownies!
After settling in, I made my way down Grafton Street to get presents. At Avoca, where they sell handmade clothes and handmade food, I found what I was looking for. The actors are being careful about what they eat, so I got them stuff to eat later...pots of homemade jam and tea; the playwrights and techie can eat NOW, so I got the other company members caramels and waffle cookies. More exploring, with a purpose. That's actually my favorite kind of wandering in a city: give myself a task or two, and then set out to accomplish it (or not).
My journey took me down to Temple Bar, and up Great George St., and to a hair salon where I was cut & styled by a cutter with one sleeve of tattoos, and a good eye for how my hair should frame my face. Postcards, t-shirts, birthday presents. Business calls, noting that the lines in the Tourist Office were considerably shorter than this time last year.
More time at the 'puter checking in on various work and theater-related projects. Like telecommuting from a very, very long way away. With a fruit plate in a hotel suite. So make no mistake...there are no complaints at this end.
And finally to the Cobalt Cafe, where a strangely familiar face popped out from around a corner and...hey...I know that tall guy. It's Kaolin Bass, fellow EAT member, and a member of the troupe that traveled to Dublin for last year's festival. He just couldn't stay away. So he got on a plane, flew overnight and surprised us all. As someone who's done that a time or two myself, I can appreciate & applaud the effort. Well played, Mr. Bass!
So Kaolin was immediately put to work announcing the evening's order, as J. Stephen and I sat in the front row for the programme. (I love to sit in the front row, as the casts of all my plays have found out). It's such a small house that I think that may be the closest I've ever been to an actor onstage without being in the play myself!
It was a good audience; close to sold out, and they were very "live." They got all the jokes and roared with approval at things they particularly liked.
And...we got our first review! I say we have this guy replace Brantley or Isherwood. Or both.
The Pig Tale folks had their opening night as well, and a couple of them swung by after their show was over and listened in the lobby. We made plans to head back to their apartment, then hit the Pantibar. (I mean, only in Dublin can you hit the Pantibar). The Pig boys had had their own exciting day: the bed they needed for Weikel's play just wasn't the right one for Pigboy Jesse May to hop up and down on during the show; as Weikel & director Mark Finley traipsed Capel St., they spotted a bed in a furniture shop, and decided it was the perfect one; and it went onstage a couple hours later. (Last year, I picked up a same-day prop on Capel St. as well...a hammer for one of my leading ladies in Some Are People.) Capel St. is a veritable gold mine of props! (As well as the home of Pantibar).
Honorary EATer Rian Corrigan came along to the Pig Tale apartment with us after our show finished, and took the photos as the New Yorkers crowded in for a picture (and that's not even all the TOSOS/EAT folk in Dublin! We have Elizabeth Whitney [TOSOS] in town as well).
We saw Elizabeth & her partner Lea just a short time later at the bar; can't wait to see her Wonder Woman: The Musical again. And, I was looking at this guy, and he remembered me first (I'm bad at that, I confess it). and He said: KATHLEEN! It's SCOTT! Scott from Provincetown. And indeed it was. The last time I saw him was in Massachusetts, in January, at the Universal Theatre Festival. He's with "Two Boys in a Bed," which played last week, and was able to stay over a bit.
Pantibar is this year's festival bar, along with the Front Lounge, and the two of them were my favorites last year. Panti's reminds me of an East Village Bar, back in the days before everything got so gentrified. There's a "Meow Mix" quality to it. And of course, Panti herself...I didn't get a picture (because I was enjoying my beer), but she came up and spoke briefly in all her blonde glory. I like a bar with picture of a haloe'd Dolly Parton on the wall.
And walked back up Grafton St. with Elizabeth and Lea, talking about where we'd been and what we'd done and what we'd like to know...I know I'll never get to it all. Today is Tuesday, and I've spent the whole day doing business/work. However, there's dinner later at the Mermaid Cafe, and two shows tonight!
Tomorrow is a day at the beach (literally) and Thursday a massage awaits.
Hotel tour starts shortly, and I have to write up my interview with the Genealogy Butler at the Shelbourne (which you'll be able to read on Frommers.com sooner rather than later!)
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